A Blood Red Rose
by Laanye
Summary: Katy Duvall falls in love... story full of vampires and werewolves. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**A Blood Red Rose**

Katie Duvall was a small girl for her age. In fact, the only thing that wasn't small about her was her eyes, which were rather big and amber colored that looked too big for her small pale face. Her hair was long and was mostly a light brown with a subtle hint of red. Her amber colored eyes always had a questioning look about them and the word 'why' was almost always on her rose colored lips.

Katie's family had a large fortune and made sure that their only daughter in a family of sons was well educated and well bred. Katie despite her family's doting was not spoiled and flourished under their constant affection; that is except her questioning tongue.

Her good looks and fortune brought her many suitors but her tongue sickened the best would be husbands and because her parents would accept nothing but the best for Katie; she felt as if she would die an old maid. Katie's parents pleaded with her to let go of her childish curiosity but to no avail; her curiosity got the best of her.

And so, Katie Duvall was without a suitor until Lord William Becket came knocking.

"Katharine." Mrs. Duvall said smiling, "A young man named Lord William Becket is here as our lunch guest. Get in your best dress and come to the parlor, quickly."

"Mother, which dress do you mean? What's fashionable these days? Who is this William Becket? What is he lord of? Is he handsome? How old is he? Do you think he earned his title by himself or inherited it? Why have I never heard of him? Is he important? Do you know him? Do you think he'll-" Katie asked before her mother cut her off.

"That is enough questions, young lady, now hurry up our guest can't be kept waiting. Put on the one you wore when that Jenkins fellow called on you." Her mother said frowning at the plethora of questions but as her daughter left she smiled, "What am I going to do with that girl?"

Minutes later, Katie appeared wearing a flattering pale blue silk dress and a questioning look on her face. Her mouth opened to ask a question but her mother cut her off, "Darling you look beautiful; now, Lord William Becket is waiting." Both mother and daughter linked arms and together set off for the parlor both thinking the same question, _is he the one?_

William Becket was in the parlor chatting with Mr. Duvall and his six sons on the finer points of fencing when the women entered the room. As true gentlemen they all rose to greet the ladies.

"This is my wife, Abigail and my lovely daughter Katharine." Mr. Duvall said. At this point the ladies were supposed to curtsy but Katie only stared at the guest. William Becket was very handsome. His raven black hair was well kept and he was clean-shaven as well-educated men mostly were. He was quite muscular and had a strong chin but that was not the reason Katie was staring. Katie was staring into his dark eyes that were fathomless as a black hole and his overly pale white skin that was the same tone as her own.

"Katharine, curtsy" Her mother said though a gritted smile. Katie mindlessly curtsied but continued to stare at him.

"Mr. and Mrs. Duvall you have a lovely home." William said.

"Thank you Lord Becket, shall begin Lunch?"

"Of course, you are the hosts." William said then giving a sidelong glance at Katie he added, "It may help loosen the tension."

Once Katie had sat down at the table in the dining room she stopped staring but for the first time in for as long as anyone could remember she actually didn't ask a single question or word for that matter the entire meal. She just nodded or shook her head whenever someone directly asked a question; which was perfectly fine with the gentlemen because women "were meant to be seen and not heard." The men didn't even notice the change but her mother on the other hand was giving her daughter worried looks. After the table was cleared William stood up, thanked them for the meal and said that he had an important engagement that he must attend to.

"But first" he said looking at Katie, "I have something I would like to give to Miss Duvall." He left the room to wear his cloak was hanging then returned with a small long black box. He opened the lid to reveal a blood red rose. The family was stunned; they had never seen a rose such a deep shade of red. "For you," he said "a promise that I will return before the last petal falls." He said handing her the flower.

Katie was caught off guard but she smiled and accepted the flower. "For you Lord Becket I give you my warmest and sincerest thanks. I have but one question for you." Her family held their breath, "How long shall that be?"

Lord William Becket winked at her and smiled, "When I call on you again I will expect more questions that will keep us both amused and happy. Until then, farewell!"

After he left, the family was in shock; no man had ever called on Katie twice. They were all excited with Katie the most ecstatic of the all, and did a very unladylike thing and screamed out to the world "Oh my gosh!"

William Becket smiled as he left the Duvall estate; Katie was a perfect choice and very much unlike any other girls he had met before. Beautiful and smart like man the rumors said and by just looking in her eyes he could tell they were true. "_Beauty and smarts_ he thought grinning _that could make her dangerous..." _he had made an ideal choice.

That evening Katie stared long and hard at the beautiful rose; she was thrilled but was Lord William Becket the man of her dreams? Was he really what he appeared to be? Did he really like her or did he like her money? Katie gulped, and why did his eyes scare her indefinitely? She plucked it from it's vase carefully as not to cut herself on one of it's thorns and looked into her full-length mirror on the other side of the room. "_Do I love him… _she thought searching desperately into the eyes of her reflection, _and does it matter?"_

As she juggled those thoughts inside her head she stared at the petals as if waiting for them to tell her the answer. Suddenly, she dropped the rose and it fell to her bedspread without a sound as well as a drop of red. Katie gazed at her palm where a thorn had imbedded itself into her hand. Using her left hand she tried to pull it out but it wouldn't give. She quickly grabbed for a pair of tweezers from her vanity but when she went to pull it out the thorn was gone and in it's place was a small thin scar on her right hand. Katie swallowed; what witchery was this? Had Lord Becket known? Was he a witch? Had he bewitched the rose?

With that thought she looked up abruptly from her palm to see that the drop of red she had thought was blood was really just a petal. Had she just imagined it? She once again looked at her palm but the scar was still there. If she hadn't just cut herself on the rose how did she get the scar?

Katie decided she wanted some air and opened her window to stare out at the pink puffy clouds that surrounded the setting sun. She stared at the beautiful grounds that surrounded the Duvall Estate that were well kept and full of lovely flowers. She smiled and sighed; she missed the old days when asking questions was considered cute and she could run after her unruly brothers and have fun. _Why do we have to grow up? Why are adults so set on me being ladylike? Why can I run around in the flowers and laugh and have fun?_ Katie thought. _And why am I having these thoughts? I haven't thought of doing that sort of thing since I was seven._ When she was eight she was forced to leave the childishness behind and take lessons on grammar, manners and how to be a lady.

Katie frowned as the sun set wondering if she could ever be that child again. Suddenly, she came up with a grand idea; why not be that child for one last time? Why not dance under the setting sun and say goodbye to that part of her?

Katie grinned but then her face fell; her parents would never allow her to go down there unsupervised. She leaned against the balcony rail and frowned but then her face lit up. "Of course!" she laughed, "How could I forget?" She looked to the left of her balcony where a trellis reached up with vines curling up around it. Katie had often climbed up it all the time when she was a child; why shouldn't she now? She went back into her room and dug in her sewing basket where one of her brother's old breeches was that she had just patched. Rich women rarely patched up their family's clothes but Katie's mother had made sure her daughter knew how to do such as she felt it was important for any young lady's education. Katie pulled them on under her nightgown and went back to the trellis and climbed down.

Katie lay in the grass staring up at the stars trying to count them. _Why are there so many?_ She thought shaking her head as she lost count again. Suddenly, she heard the grass behind her rustle. She jumped up quickly and turned around to see no one. "Who's there?" Katie whispered. Silence greeted her question. She gulped then backed up slowly towards the trellis that was only a couple feet away: luckily. "Whoever you are I'm going to bed so please leave the grounds." She could swear she could hear something breathing loudly.

She quickly turned ready to run but as she turned she realized that someone had been standing behind her the entire time. She couldn't the face because it was hidden in the shadow of a hood but she could see the teeth bared with two pointy fangs ominously shining at her. She gulped, and turned around to run the other way but the breathing had gotten louder and another figure appeared. This figure looked barely human it was so disfigured.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for such a long wait… but here is chapter 2!!!**

The figure was covered in thick gray matted fur except for what looked like a cape that was draped around the shoulders of the misshaped being. The head was a mix between that of a wolf and a human being. Blood seemed to ooze from the mouth of this… this… monster. The worst part was its eyes; those big blood red eyes that were full of intelligence and pure insanity. It seemed to wheeze as it moved closer to her.

A proper lady would have fainted dead away but Katie was no proper lady despite her upbringing. She was terrified but somehow she found the nerve to ask a question; "Who are you?"

The beast smiled showing blackened teeth stained with blood. It laughed sending chills up her spine, "She asks us who we are, bloodsucker, should I tell her or should I eat her?" it said in a raspy voice. The cloaked figure didn't move a muscle but his mouth seemed to form a little half smile.

Katie gulped, _Why me? _She thought as the beast began to crouch. He lunged at her but suddenly the cloaked figure was in front of her and the beast lay in a heap at his feet.

"Th-th-ank you" she stuttered.

The cloaked figure turned, "Tonight never occurred, Katharine Marie Duvall. Mortals do not mix with immortals; it is the law." The figure said with a mesmerizing voice.

The next moment she was in her bed with the sun streaming through her window. "What a strange dream!" She said shaking her head but as she tried to grasp for the details they all slipped away from her grasp and before she had even eaten breakfast she couldn't remember a thing about her dream.

"Katharine, are you all right?" Asked her concerned father. His brow was furrowed as he tried to meet Katharine's eye at breakfast.

"I'm fine, father." She said curtly. As she stared at her food she could feel the eyes of her family on her. _Why are they staring at me?_ She thought angrily.

"Maybe she's just growing up, Father." Said Isaac her eldest brother in a whisper.

Katie looked up; couldn't they just leave her alone? She was trying to remember her dream and why it was so important. "Mother, I don't feel well," she said in a whisper to her mother as the men were preparing for a hunting trip and the servants were cleaning up the dishes.

Her mother felt Katie's forehead with her cool pale hand. "Open" she said as Katie opened up her mouth wide. "Hmm… You may retire but I want no complaints about your etiquette lessons being moved to this afternoon" Katie sighed and went back to her room to think. She picked up the rose that William Becket had given her and stared long and hard at it. Was it important? Why did she have a feeling that this rose held the key to her dream?

She set it down and sighed maybe sleep would help.

_Katie was sitting at the table by herself waiting for her family to show up for a meal. The strange thing was that she was wearing sleeping attire; which is quite inappropriate for a young lady. She tapped her fingers as she sipped sweet lemonade. The table was set with the finest china and a large cake sat in the middle as the centerpiece. Her mouth watered as she glanced at the cake making her more impatient for her family to get there. Finally, she gave up and swiped a little bit of the icing on to her finger. As she went to lick it she noticed a pale scar on her right hand._

Katie instantly woke up; she remembered everything. She gulped as she thought of the beast and the cloaked figure. "Why?" she had analyzed the situation to the fullest, "Why make me forget? Why did I meet them anyways? What was that about immortals and immortals?" she muttered as she stared at her scar.

"Darling, it's time for your lesson!" Katie's mother said from the doorway. "You look much better honey, had you not slept well last night?"

"I just had a bad dream; that's all." Katie whispered.


	3. Chapter 3

"Now, as a young lady you must remember that your goal is to serve. Despite your wealth or status the goal of a woman's life is to serve others." Katie's mother said. Katie and her mother were sitting in Katie's room for her etiquette lesson. "A female's job is to make their male companion seem superior to all other men. Your job as a wife will be to exalt your husband beyond all men. A weak wife makes a weak husband but if you do your job right your future man will be strong. You must never question your husband but accept his word as the law. You must keep your home in proper order as well as yourself. A plain wife makes the husband plain but if the wife is beautiful the husband shall be thought of better for such a wonderful catch. " Katie's mother smiled as she thought of what a wonderful catch her daughter would be. That is except for her questions.

"Mother, why must I learn this? You've told it to me a hundred times!" Katie said rolling her eyes.

"I thought you weren't going to complain, Katharine!" Exclaimed her mother.

"Of course, Mother." Katie said sweetly but regretted agreeing to it.

"As I was saying; a female must make a male superior. As females we leave all the thinking to men and we must leave them to be our guides in life. We must be intelligent and witty in conversation but we must never make ourselves overshadow any man, as it is improper. We must know languages in case of foreign guests but we should not flaunt our knowledge to less learned men. We must be humble and loyal to our family."

"Mother, may I work on my needlework?" Katie asked trying to find anyway to get out of the rest of the lecture that she had already learned by heart.

"Katharine, that is a wonderful idea!"

"Thank you, Mother" Katharine said as she grabbed her needlework from the sewing basket that lay at her mother's feet. _Why does she always give me that lecture? _Katharine thought as her needle went in and out rhythmically. _What's wrong with being smart? And shouldn't I know what a man does? I don't want a man bossing me around! _ Katharine jabbed herself with the needle drawing a drop of blood. She let out a small gasp when it pierced her flesh, what a stupid mistake to make! The blood made her think of the rose and in turn, Lord Becket. Who was he and why did he make her blush every time she thought of him? She had never had any felling for any of her suitors before. Why now? Why?

"Darling, is everything all right?"

"Of course, Mother but why do you ask?" Katie asked. Her mother didn't reply but continued to work on her own needlework. Katie thought about Lord Becket and wondered if she would mind him bossing her around… well would she? She pondered this thought and wondered why she was attracted to him. He was unusually pale and dreadfully boring and polite but something in him drew her to him. She looked at her dresser where the rose sat in a clear vase.

Her mother caught her looking at it, "You know, I've never seen anything like that rose before and I'm sure he was quite taken with you. He always seemed to have his eye on you. I wonder where he got that thing; it must be a rare indeed or maybe it's magic!" her mother laughed.

Katie stared at her mom eyes open in horror. What if the rose indeed was magic? What if he had put a spell on her? Is that why she couldn't take her eyes off him or stop thinking about him? He had had an enchantment on him when they met and one on the rose? The rose seemed menacing all the sudden; that enchanted blood red rose.


	4. Chapter 4

Lord William Becket at that very moment was thinking about the lovely Katherine Duvall. He got shivers every time he thought of stroking her pale skin and running his fingers through her silky hair. He imagined himself staring into her large questioning amber eyes. He could almost see her asking if he really loved her, then he would smile and then-

"Lord Becket" A stout woman exclaimed from behind him, "I believe that some gentlemen are here to see you."

Lord Becket frowned; he rarely got visitors and when he did their visit would have been announced. He slowly got up from the chair he had been sitting in. He put the book he had been reading back on the shelf. The room was his study; it was filled with books from top to bottom and each of the old well cared for books were placed in their correct place. The only furniture was a large desk and the chair he had been sitting in that was behind the desk. His study was adjoined to his bedroom and his bedroom also connected to a bathroom.

He went into his bedroom and made sure he was appropriate for company. The mirror was old and when he looked into it he could barely see himself. He smiled, most gentlemen would never have such old things in their houses; all they wanted was new, new, new! He laughed: he wasn't like most men. He frowned upon his attire; he hated it. Why couldn't he be back in Rome where they wore tunics and sandals and they were dressed for comfort rather than style? He hated living in his time period.

"Lord Becket, your guests are waiting." The stout woman said, and then eyeing his crooked collar she frowned. "Let me fix that", she said as she straitened out the rest of his clothing.

The stout woman was Rachael Grison his most faithful friend and servant. She had a mind of her own and was always mothering him. Her hair was shocked with gray but her eyes were still lively and quick. They were a bright green and if she was angry… well… you didn't want her to be angry. "There now you look presentable" she smiled wearily, "you never were very up to date" Lord Becket shrugged but they both knew that wasn't the half of it. "It's that girl's father and brothers, I think" she said, "I hope she is the one, William" she said in a whisper.

William looked at her and wished that he could reverse time; Rachael was dying and they both knew it. He wished she had made the choice he had offered her or not taken the job as his servant. She deserved a better life.

"William, you and I both know I won't live much longer. I just wanted you too know that I do love you." She said as she gave him a kiss on his cheek. William almost cried but he nodded, he would live through it; he always had.

"Lord Becket, it is a pleasure to be in your lovely home." Mr. Duvall said as his six sons nodded in agreement. Then one of the boy or rather- young men exclaimed, "Who's that?"

Both William and Rachael froze; it was odd to only have one servant, especially a female one. "This is… eh… my… erm-"

"Mother!" exclaimed Rachael, "I'm his mother" Rachael gave William a sad look.

"Well, Mrs. Becket I am Rodney Duvall and these are my six sons: Isaac, Samuel, Henry, Gregory, Sean and our youngest- James." They all looked like their father with their tan skin and light brown hair. The oldest Beckets wore mustaches and beards. While the younger ones brandished the few hairs they had grown. James, the youngest seemed very much like his sister and had a questioning look about him but that was probably because they were around the same age.

"Mr. Duvall what brings you and your sons to my humble abode?" William asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"Well… I… erm… that is…" Mr. Duvall began.

"Lord Becket we come on behalf of our sister, Katherine" Isaac said.

"Whatever for?" William asked indifferently.

"We feel that you-" Isaac began.

"Isaac, I will handle this" Mr. Duvall barked at his son. Isaac glared at his father but stopped talking.

_Oooh a wild one_ thought William_ Pretty soon he'll be off to start his own life or they'll end up killing one another._ William smiled; he had seen it happen with many young men.

"You see, my dear sir, my darling Katharine is obviously of age and I for one believe you to be her prime suitor." Mr. Duvall exclaimed.

_Prime?_ Thought William, _Only is more like it!_ He smiled at the poor man; he had a lot to deal with and obviously it was hard feeding seven mouths even with his mass fortune. "Ah and what deems me so?" he asked in a smug tone.

"Ah, well… that is… you come from a noble line and are obviously a noble gentleman. You would provide my daughter with an ideal life." He said quite flustered.

"And what does your daughter think?" William asked bluntly.

"Excuse me?"

"Does she even know that you're here?"

"Well em…"

"She doesn't know you are just throwing her to the first filthy rich bachelor?"

"You don't understand-"

"I understand completely, I will never marry a woman who has not had a choice in the matter!" William angrily shouted.

"William!" Rachael exclaimed, "Now is not the time!"

"Sir, there is also the matter of the dowry." Mr. Duvall said calmly.

"Dowry? Dowry! Do you think I CARE about MONEY!?!"

"It is a very handsome price, if I do say so myself."

"Mr. Rodney Duvall I have no need for money and that IS THAT! NOW OUT OF MY HOUSE!" William exclaimed.

"But sir-"

"OUT!" William screamed as the seven Duvalls filed out the door. When they had left Rachael glared at him.

"What were you thinking?" Rachael hissed. "You just alienated her father, now you won't be able to marry her!"

"Rachael I will not marry her if she doesn't love me; you know that! I must have someone I love!" he said sighing.

"Love doesn't always work out, William you should no that by now. I mean; look what love did to me" she whispered as her eyes began to fill with tears. William hugged her tightly as she shook in his arms. Yes, love didn't always work out.


End file.
